~~Flashback~~
"Passing Fang!" a man cried as he brutally assaulted the Iwagakure shinobi squad that had infiltrated his camp with his clan's signature taijutsu-ninjutsu technique. The squad all were sent to their backs in an effort to avoid the rapidly spinning Konoha nin, all for naught as he connected with the dirt, creating a large impact zone that he easily recovered from. He stood at five foot nine, making him of average height, but his shoulders were nearly two and a half feet in width, giving him a brawny build. He had a blue mark over his left eye, marking him as a second den (1) clansman, his hair was short and a light brown, similar to that of his cousin Rin's, and he had the obviously lacking feral pupils that his clan was known for. This was Inuzuka Kiba (2), (recently) ex-boyfriend to the Inuzuka matriarch, Inuzuka Tsume.
"Get down Kiba!" a familiar voice cried to the man, making the chunin drop to the ground as his commander tossed his shield at the Iwa nin flipping rapidly through hand seals. The shield easily sliced through the man's extended hand, interrupting his attempt at a possibly dangerous assault on the back of the partner-less Inuzuka, and removed the four fingers from their place on his hand.
Kiba shot back to his feet, his brown eyes glinting with annoyance, before looking at the Iwa shinobi cradling his fingerless hand with a scream of pain. With an irritated growl, Kiba pulled a kunai out and sliced the man's throat. It'd been only a week since his partner's death, the reasons behind the large brown dog's demise being unknown and leading the top vet in the area to believe Kiba had purposely killed his partner, and the brash chunin was finding himself at a loss as to how to adjust to his partner-less status.
"Fucking bastard nearly got me," Kiba snarled with an audible hint of disappointment in himself. Naruto sighed, walking to his shield and pulling it from the ground, before facing his teammate and friend.
"Kiba, you need to calm down," the blonde Namikaze said with authority. When the man snarled at him, Naruto narrowed his blue eyes at the man and continued, "Don't give me that look, Kiba. You know I'm on your side. Someone framed you and killed Ookami, I'm leaning towards Oro-teme, but...you know how 'absurd' I can be when it comes to that fucker."
Despite his anger, Kiba let out a small laugh and smiled at his best friend. The Inuzuka slugged the blonde in the shoulder, "Thanks, Dobe."
The two stood in comfortable silence before Kiba broke it once again, "She hates me."
"Who, Tsume-chan? Nah, she loves you just as much as you love her," Naruto dismissed with a wave of his hand, "Told me so herself."
"...What do you think of her?" Kiba asked getting wide eyes from the blonde.
"Dude! So the Clan Council shot down your courting or whatever, it's not like you're not gonna propose again," Naruto scoffed at the Inuzuka as he shook his head, "You're acting like you're gonna die."
"You're avoiding the question...you see her as mate material then," Kiba said, smirking at the blonde. Naruto's face turned red from embarrassment and he lightly slugged the man in the arm.
"You...Just shut up, Dog-breath," the blonde grumbled before grinning, "So I like her; so what? She's my friend and I'm fine with that. She's happy with you, I'm happy for you both. You both are my best friends. Hell, Minato and Kushina are both like strangers compared to how close I am to you both."
"...Just promise me something, bro," Kiba said once again, putting Naruto on edge. No one ever asked him to make promises unless something bad was going to happen, or if they thought something bad was going to happen. And with how the Third War was starting, this was one thing he started to despise with a passion.
"Where are they Kiba?" he asked, spinning around in a defensive stance. The second he did so, Kiba shoved Naruto away with all his might, sending the Super-Nin tumbling as an explosion shook the area. Naruto coughed as debris and smoke filled the air. More people suddenly cried out in shock, tents throughout the camp being opened hastily, while Naruto looked back at where his friend stood.
"No..." Naruto softly said, seeing his friend's raggedly breathing form, burned beyond recognition and missing more than forty percent of his right side. The blonde hero rushed to his friend's side, examining the area for threats and finding none. Nothing except the corpse that Kiba...
"S-Sneaky bastards...put explosive tags on...under their armor...I...heard the...tags...before you..." Kiba gasped out. Naruto knelt at his side, grabbing the hand the disgraced Inuzuka offered him.
"It's-It's gonna be ok, Kiba," Naruto whispered, still trying to remain calm, "I'm positive! I know it's gonna hurt, but...M-MEDIC! MEDIC!"
"S-Save the drama, Dobe..." Kiba chuckled out before gasping again. Naruto looked down at Kiba.
"Don't man, don't do this to me..." the blonde pleaded, "Don't talk. You gotta get back to Hana-chan and Tsume-chan...Save your energy. Hana-chan needs you as her step-father. Tsume-chan needs you as a lover, bro...You gotta brag to me, remember?"
"N-Not gonna make it...I...I need...need you to...to promise me...to make her happy...Make Tsume-chan and Hana-chan...happy..." Kiba's words were backed by the pleading eyes of a dying man. Naruto's own eyes were brimming with tears, but he refused to cry and get teased by the 'manlier Inuzuka'.
"Shut up, Kiba, it's gonna be fine!" Naruto exclaimed before looking back at the tents, "MEDIC! I GOT A MAN DOWN! MEDIC! WHERE THE FUCK IS EVERYONE?"
"P-Promise me!" Kiba growled before coughing up blood, "O-On your words..."
"Shut-...If it'll shut you up," Naruto joked with a small smile, his best friend grinning back, "I promise. And I never go back on my word."
"C-Cause it's your...Your ninja way..." Kiba chuckled out before gasping, "Fuck...I...Tell Tsume-chan...I..."
"You tell her yourself, Kiba," Naruto grumbled as the Inuzuka broke into a fit of coughs before looking around, "MEDIC! WHERE'S THAT FUCKING MEDIC?"
When the Medic finally came, along with the superior officer that was his brother's sensei, Jiraiya, they found the young Super Shinobi hugging the corpse of his long-time friend and teammate, apologizing for something over and over again. It took them a good hour to separate the man from his deceased friend.
The next day, Namikaze Naruto took a squad and hunted down the Iwa camp in the area, only one survivor remained and he said one thing that made the Land of Stone fear the Namikaze even more. Naruto used a new technique that day, one that was only at the beginning of use, but it was effective and it helped in giving Captain Konoha a new title, one that drove fear into the shinobi that were put against him: Captain Rasengan.
~~Present~~
"You cannot defeat me, Captain! I am Kazehana Doto! The Patient Winter, and soon, the ruler of the world!" Doto exclaimed as he stood behind a large device, shoving the crystal into it with a maniacal grin on his face. Naruto growled and ran towards him, holding his shield in front of him while Kakashi fought off the only remaining Yuki nin with Kiba's help while Hana healed Sasuke and Sakura.
"You're gonna eat those words, Doto," Naruto growled, lifting his right hand across from his hidden left. As he ran, no one could see the way he was circling his right hand over his lightly clawed left one. Doto smirked and cackled while Koyuki watched from behind her maddened uncle as her hero ran towards certain doom.
"Fool!" Doto exclaimed, lifting his prized bow and drawing back an arrow, "Your courage is overwhelming, but it's outsized by your sheer stupidity!"
Naruto merely growled even more, but once his technique finished forming, the blonde grabbed his shield with his right hand and threw it at the podium, causing Doto to jump and misfire. The shield continued to soar, circling and driving into Doto's back, sending the man down towards the leaping blonde. The Captain narrowed his eyes and brought his left hand back, thrusting it forward only when Doto was a blink away.
"Eat this: RASENGAN!" the sphere of chakra drove into Doto's armor, chipping away rapidly at the thick metal. When the technique hit flesh, Doto's eyes bulged from their sockets and a gasp of pain left his mouth. The only remaining Yuki shinobi (who had surrendered) gaped at the sheer power being sent through his leader, while the Konoha nins and Koyuki merely marveled at the rainbow-like colors being reflected by the technique through the large lighting mirrors.
Doto's stomach had been drilled completely through and Naruto pulled his left arm from the corpse, sending the body flying with a strong dropkick as the blonde Tokubetsu jonin began falling back to the ground. He collided with a loud smack, the snow flying into the air just before it melted along with the rest of the immediate area. Hana's dogs rushed to the falling nin's aid, along with a good portion of the squad.
Kakashi chuckled as he finished tying up the Yuki nin before walking over to an awed Koyuki. Squatting at her side, the man said with an eye smile, "He's a hell of a guy, isn't he, Koyuki-sama?"
"H-Hai, Hatake-san," Koyuki agreed with a blush and a few tears in her eyes as she watched a holographic recording of herself as a young girl. With a blush on her face, the Daimyo-to-be looked at the silver-haired nin, now reading his prized porn with glee, and asked, "Um, Hatake-san? Is he...Is he single?"
~~Time Skip – One Week Later~~
"Ah-ha-ha-ha! Konoha, just how I left it!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin as they walked up to the gates of their home. The party of five (plus the four canine companions) was thanked by the village of Yukigakure no Sato as Koyuki became the residing Daimyo. In front of the thousands attending, she also gave Naruto a very thankful kiss and dropped the hint that he would be welcomed to join her for a personal message. Confused by her offer, Naruto politely declined, and the rest of the squad, save for Kakashi, gaped at his dense reply. They left the next day, a blushing Naruto almost being late for their departure.
"Come on, Cap-sama," Kiba whined, "Please tell me what happened between you and Koyuki-sama?"
"Kiba, drop that –sama, crap. I hate suffixes, they make me seem old," the Captian said with a roll of his eyes. His shield was on his back and his helmet was resting on the head of said boy trying to get details of his adventures.
Hana giggled, "You sound like our Kaasan. She says the same thing."
Naruto grinned before recalling the discussion he and Kakashi had. Over the years he had been MIA, Orochimaru went rogue and no one, save for Jiraiya, had seen him since. Only three years after his MIA status, Danzo's ROOT sided with Uchiha Fugaku and several other conspirators against Konoha. They first killed Kushina and her unborn child, followed by executing Sasuke's parents, Rin and Obito, before Minato managed to cut down the rebelling Uchiha with the aid of his own ANBU. Danzo and a few Root managed to escape and fled to Amegakure, and haven't been seen or heard from since. Fugaku managed to kill Minato with a self-sacrificing technique.
The blonde warrior had cussed up a storm when Kakashi finished, fighting the tears back as he almost destroyed the hull of the boat that they had rented. Naruto needed to have words with the surviving Uchiha, as well as the Hokage before he hunted the War-Hawk down.
"Maa, leave Captain-sensei alone, Kiba," Kakashi lazily drawled out, "He's got enough on his mind as it is..."
The two chunin guards almost always seen at the gate, Izumo, and Kotetsu, greeted Kakashi, the Inuzuka, Sasuke, and Sakura warmly and a small joke about Kakashi's tardiness. When Naruto stepped up, they froze and gaped. Naruto took his helmet from Kiba's head and placed it on his own, making the two chunin lose the feeling in their jaws as they slammed through the wood desk of the check-point. Kakashi had to fight back laughter at the chunin's astonished faces.
"Tokubetsu Jonin, Namikaze Naruto, returning from an A-Rank mission," he said with a small smile before turning around and facing the trees, "Is that you, Yuugao-chan? You've certainly managed to accomplish your goal, haven't you?"
In a blur, a once concealed ANBU with a cat mask reappeared with her arms around the man's side, hugging him tightly. Kakashi eye smiled at the scene while Hana and Team 7 stared in shock, their faces reflecting Izumo's and Kotetsu's. Naruto laughed, his baritone laughter echoing through the village and making several people pause in whatever they were doing, including one certain clan head during a council meeting.
~Several moments earlier~
Inuzuka Tsume was tired of listening to Haruno Sakuya shriek at the Sandaime about writing up a marriage proposal for Inuzuka-Uchiha Sasuke. The boy was a rarity, having been born of the purest of Uchiha and Inuzuka blood, and he was a popular little runt with the girls if Tsume had observed whenever Kiba and Sasuke would bicker. The two were close enough to be brothers, and Tsume had a good idea as to why.
Like his deceased father, Kiba often came off as loud and often had a grin that would make you wonder if he wasn't planning anything. Sasuke, however, had inherited that Uchiha superiority ever since the Civil War and the Uchiha Massacre that followed a few years after, where Sasuke's older cousin on his father's side had killed Sasuke's Aunt. Kiba also tended to act like Obito, a trait that was no doubt passed on by the young heir's father, and Sasuke must have subconsciously wanted to be near another that radiated utter warmth and kindness.
Tsume smiled sadly as she began reminiscing over her second, scratch that, her real mate/lover's last days in Konoha. They had spent several hours in bed the night before his last mission. She felt her heart clench when she remembered him promising that he'd come back without a single scratch.
"That baka…" Tsume chuckled with a sad smile. She saved her tears for when she was at her home, safe from losing her prideful stance as the 'Toughest Bitch in Konoha', Bitch not being a degrading term to an Inuzuka, unless said in an unfavorable manner.
Then she heard it, the laughter that had echoed in her dreams each night, the warm sound similar to a child's, except sounding deeper and much more mature. It had made her stand instantly just as Kuromaru, her faithful companion and the head of the Inuzuka Dog Clans, leaped over the table and charged the double doors. He skid to a stop and growled when two ANBU stopped him.
"Inuzuka-dono," a civilian sneered, "Please have some sort of control your pet while we're discussing important matters..."
"Shut up!" Kuromaru barked, shocking many in the room. The Head of the Dogs hardly ever spoke, and if he did, it would only be in a tone of boredom or that of a tired warrior merely trying to sleep. Kuromaru then turned back and slowly approached the door, pawing at it while whining (a common sound that further shocked the council), "Come on...Open the door...Open the door..."
"Kuro?" Tsume asked as she stood, the sound of her lover's laughter still echoing in her ear, "What's up?"
The Council all leaned forward, curious at the canine's actions, only to be shocked once again when the ANBU Tora suddenly appeared in the room with a large poof of smoke. Urgently he approached the Sandaime and whispered in his ear, something even the Inuzuka within the room in the room had trouble hearing. The Sandaime's eyes went wide and he stood abruptly pointing at the two ANBU in front of the double doors, "You two, MOVE!"
"Sandaime-sama?" a councilman asked, only to be met with a cold shoulder as the old man let a grin cross over his face while walking around the council and leaving, "Where are you going? We have to discuss what will happen to Sasuke-sama!"
"This meeting is adjourned," Sarutobi said with a smile, "I have a Hero to welcome home. Tsume-san, you may wish to join me..."
With that cryptic offer, the Sandaime Hokage left the council chambers, followed instantly by said council. Tsume leading the group as Kuromaru ran ahead with a renewed sense of (the following word has been trademarked) Youth.
~With Naruto~
"Naruto-sempai!" Yuugao exclaimed with a smile as she cast her mask aside, "You're back! You're alive!"
Naruto chuckled and scratched his head, "Yeah, I guess you could say I am...Man, you look great, Yuugao-chan. If it weren't for the fact I can recognize your chakra signature I would have mistaken you for a guardian angel."
"Aw, sempai!" Yuugao giggled like a schoolgirl as she lightly blushed and stepped back. The sounds of snickering made her blush further and snap her head back to the trees. With an angered glare, she looked back at the grinning Naruto with a sweet smile, "Pardon me, Sempai. I have a few subordinates to deal with."
A wave of despair crossed over the trees behind Team 7 and the genin all turned curiously, failing to find the source. Kakashi, well aware of his former ANBU brethren's fate, waved in sympathy while Hana merely found herself struggling to understand why she disliked seeing one of her friends act so strangely around the infamous hero.
Naruto shook his head at his sister-in-law's favorite student's antics before sensing an approaching chakra signature. Blinking in confusion, the blue armored shinobi barely managed to turn in time to catch the now leaping Kuromaru, who exclaimed with a bark, "You Son-of-a-Bitch!"
The dog and Naruto rolled back over each other, allowing Naruto to maneuver his feet into the pooch's gut and kick him off. He barely managed to get to his knees when the dog attacked, "Passing Fang!"
Naruto used his shield to defend himself, successfully managing to deflect the canine's attack, only to find a fist implanting in his gut. Stumbling backward, Naruto looked up with a smile to see an enraged Inuzuka matriarch growling down at him.
"Hey Tsume-hime," he coughed out, "...I'm back!"
~~Flashback~~
He raised his shield to deflect the onslaught of shuriken flying at him and quickly dropped into a roll to avoid the flying drill-like attack that was aimed at his head. Naruto stopped on his knees and held his shield behind his head, making an oncoming blade clang against it loudly. The helmeted blonde narrowed his eyes as he shoved the blade away, pushing himself to his feet with a smirk.
"So, nee-chan, you're helping Tsu-chan, huh?" Naruto asked as he faced the redheaded Uzumaki smirking at him.
"You sound like you expected it, Oututo," Kushina teased as she attempted a sideswipe with her Uzu no Ishi. Naruto easily blocked the attack with his shield and threw his left leg out to break the Uzumaki's stance. Kushina jumped back before the blonde's foot could connect and tossed three kunai at the blonde.
Naruto lifted his shield to deflect the incoming projectiles, but upon lowering it he found himself being struck in the gut by Tsume's companion and partner, Kuromaru. The blue armored shinobi skid backward from the attack and found himself on the defensive again when the woman he originally was sparring with came at him with her namesake. In the back of his mind, Naruto found this to be out of character for his friend, as was her behavior weeks prior to their spar today. She had avoided him, purposely leaving the room whenever he entered, and constantly gave him a scowl.
For now, he was just happy to be sparring with his friend once again.
"Damn!" the blonde exclaimed, "You are getting better, Tsu-chan."
Tsume didn't reply, keeping her narrowed brown orbs on the smiling blonde in front of her. Though it had been months since Kiba's death, part of Tsume felt that it was Naruto's fault. He was the damn Captain Konoha! She maneuvered around his shield and gripped his free arm, digging her claws in. He should have smelt the tags!
"Tsu-chan? You're...you're hurting me..." Naruto grumbled. Hurting was a bit more than how he actually felt, but the nails were slowly sinking through his rock-hard skin. Tsume's grip tightened and Naruto found himself on his knees.
"Tsume!" Kushina and Kuromaru called out. The young Inuzuka heiress snapped from her thoughts and a look of horror crossed her face as she realized the red liquid covering her hands was blood. Blood of her fallen lover's best friend. The blood of her best friend.
"Tsu-chan...Please let go of my arm..." Naruto asked as he looked at her. The feral woman's mouth opened, but no words came out. Her grip slackened and Naruto's arm fell free. Ten holes, all dark red, glared back at the Inuzuka as she stepped back.
"I..." Despite herself, Tsume found tears falling down her cheeks. She stepped back once more, only to be stopped by a light grip on her left arm. Tsume felt herself being pulled into a hug.
"Tsu-chan...I'm sorry," Naruto whispered as he hugged her, "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough..."
Tsume broke down crying in her friend's arms, the pain and anger finally getting to her and the guilt of being so cross. Kuromaru was at his companion's side, letting her know he was there. The Inuzuka heiress hugged her friend back as she cried, her face buried in his armored chest. Naruto closed his eyes and rested his cheek against her head.
"Tsu-chan, let's go check on Hana-chan, huh?" He quietly suggested when Tsume's sobs became less hysteric. The blonde gave her a smile and released her. The Inuzuka gave a teary smile back and the three left the training ground. A silent aura of forgiveness radiating from them as they headed back towards the Inuzuka compound. Unseen by either of the two, Uzumaki Kushina allowed a smile to come over her face.
'Step one of Operation: Sister-In-Law, complete...Now to get Step Two in effect,' Kushina thought before vanishing in a swirl of water.
~Present~
Naruto rolled backward to avoid a chakra-enhanced ax-kick. He prepared to throw his shield out of habit but was forced to instead leap up as another Tsuuga came at him via Kuromaru. He quickly brought the shield in front of him to defend against an aerial slash.
"YOU BASTARD!" Tsume snarled, her body following her slash through with a heel-dropkick that was parried by the Captain's shield.
"Hey, Minato and I took offense to that years ago, and I still do!" Naruto shot back with a growl as he used his right leg to kick the Inuzuka matriarch in her side. Tsume braced herself for the kick but was not prepared for the push that followed it. The wild-haired woman found herself falling to the ground at an impressive speed, and would have been seriously injured if she didn't use the Kawarimi a second before impact.
"You son of a-Do you know how long it's been?" Kuromaru asked as he charged the landing armored shinobi. Naruto lifted his free arm as Kuromaru leaped at him with an open jaw. The ninken bit down on the armored shinobi, making Naruto cry out in pain.
"Dammit, Kuro!" Naruto snarled as he gripped the top of Kuromaru's muzzle, attempting to force the dog to let go of his arm. His hand's grip over the dog's mouth was tightening and bit-by-bit he pushed the ninken off of his arm. Before the one-eyed dog could regain his hold, Naruto forced him to shut his mouth and tossed him into the wood.
"Tsuuga!" Tsume announced as she ran at the blonde with her clan's signature jutsu. The large drilling force spun rapidly as it raced towards the armored shinobi. Naruto barely moved out of the way and found himself on the run from his lover's attack.
As he ran, Naruto took notice of the large crowd watching him fight for his survival (of either his life or his manhood) and a twitch appeared in the Captain's eye. On his next pass by the crowd, Naruto shouted, "Oh no, don't anyone try and stop Tsu-hime from killing me! I'm just fine, by the way!"
His words seemed to snap the Hokage from his gaze and he looked to the unmasked ANBU, "Ah, Yugao-chan, please do me a favor and have your squad help the Captain."
Yugao's face turned into a grin and she looked at a tree, "You heard Hokage-sama. Restrain the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan."
Three ANBU dropped from the tree, and from the millisecond hesitance to jumping in the fray, Yugao knew this was a much better punishment than what she could ever dish out for laughing at her when she interacted with her sensei's brother-in-law. The small group of three exchanged a look between themselves before they jumped into the chase. One of them, being an Inuzuka, countered the technique with the proper prodding of his sheathed ninja-to. This resulted in Tsume's attack slowly halting before she skid along the dirt ground on her side, before growling at the one that stopped her.
Naruto, on the other hand, stopped dead in his tracks, doubling over to catch his breath. Insane his stamina and endurance maybe, but no amount of either would ever be enough to escape a woman's wrath. There's truth to the wise saying of 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. The helmeted blonde pushed himself upright and quickly turned his body to the left to avoid another tackle attempt from Kuromaru. His impressive arms wrapped around the canine's middle in a tight bear hug, and with a quick squeeze, the dog was blissfully unconscious.
'Damn, he's heavier than the last time I sparred against him…' the Captain mused to himself. He looked up when the sounds of ferocious growling got his attention and sighed at the sight of three ANBU pinning a raging Tsume. Placing his shield on his back, the armored shinobi moved Kuromaru to rest under his arm and walked towards Tsume, who locked her glare on him the second he started his approach.
Naruto carefully set the unconscious partner of the Inuzuka Matriarch down before he removed his helmet and crouched down in front of Tsume, a wry grin on his face, "Always one to follow your emotions, aren't you, Tsu-hime?"
"Don't call me that!" Tsume growled, "You lost your right to call me that a long time ago!"
Naruto's grin fell and his face steeled before he nodded, "As you wish, Tsume-sama. I apologize for speaking out of term to the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan. Your ninken will awaken in an hour, as is the norm."
That said, the blonde stood and walked away from the shocked matriarch. She hadn't expected him to call her anything other than his pet name for her. The fact that he dropped it without much struggle made a pang of hurt go through the clan head's heart.
Naruto put his helmet under his arm and came to a halt in front of the Sandaime, saluting with his right hand as he did those many years ago, "Sandaime-sama. Tokubetsu Jonin, Namikaze Naruto reporting for debriefing concerning the A-class mission of ensuring the protection of one Kazehana Koyuki. I'm sorry that the mission took so long, I had...complications."
Sarutobi chuckled at the blonde's choice of words, stepping forward and clapping his hands on the taller shinobi's shoulders with a grin, "Now, now, Naruto-Kun. You may have these other geezers fooled, but I know you've got a better greeting than that for your Hokage."
Naruto's steeled face fell and a grin popped up before he embraced the man he considered a mentor and grandfather in a relaxed hug. When the broke the blonde gave a nod and said, "It's good to be back, Hiru-Jiji. I need to have a full debriefing and...And I want to see their graves."
Sarutobi's face fell into a saddened sigh and he nodded, "Very well, Naruto-Kun. Who am I to deny your wishes. Come, I will take you the Namikaze grave."
Naruto nodded once again and followed the robed Hokage with barely restrained unease as the crowds of countless civilians whispered amongst themselves. His heightened senses caught the words, but his brain made no connection as he was too focused on the route, knowing he would be making many trips to his brother's and sister's grave. It was when they passed the orphanage did he catch sight of a small girl with a mop of red hair. The resemblance was too uncanny, too suspicious...
Naruto narrowed his eyes and grabbed the Hokage's shoulder, stopping the man. ANBU jumped down and made themselves as the protectors of the Hokage known, but the Hokage and the ANBU knew if he truly wanted to, Naruto could kill them all. The blonde turned the Hokage and his eyes glanced to the girl, the question being unsaid, but heard nonetheless by the shinobi known as 'The Professor'.
Sarutobi sighed and looked to Kakashi, who had taken notice of his sensei's brother's glance and followed it before freezing in shock. He shouldn't have tried to hide her existence from family, but he wanted to ensure she would be safe against Danzo and any others who hated the Yondaime. The next few words had to be spoken carefully, or not only will he lose the trust of his (arguably) strongest shinobi, but he could lose the support of a former ANBU captain.
"I...I wanted to ensure her safety, Naruto," He whispered, looking to the ground, "I...I couldn't bare the thought-"
Naruto interrupted him with an urgent tone, "I want the story after I decide to do anything. You know, however, Minato despised being an orphan, and I wasn't too keen on it either...Especially with what I was chosen to do by Mito-baa-sama."
Sarutobi nodded understandably before looking at the curious face of the girl that watched them stop and talk in the middle of the road. He smiled at her and she gave him a beaming smile back, one that made Naruto smirk as he saw his elder brother and his sister-in-law smiling back in the girl's visage. He looked behind him to the eye-smiling Kakashi and the curious faces of the man's genin team. He was happy to see Hana was looking at her with a furrowed brow, trying to place the familiar features he knew she had either forgotten or had repressed.
"Yue-chan, please bring little Akane-chan over here," The Hokage called to the orphanage's head caretaker. The woman blinked and nodded before tapping the girl on her shoulder and offering her hand. The young girl took it and was happily led towards the Hokage and the handsome man with them.
Naruto couldn't help but smile at her. Her blue eyes were light, much like those of his niisan's, but full of mischief that, along with her red locks, reminded him of his dear nee-chan. Her small white shirt with a red swirling fire reminded him of the village's motto, 'Nothing is stronger than the Will of Fire'. Before Sarutobi could speak, Naruto knelt down before her and gave her a smile.
"Hello there," he greeted, earning a surprised squeak from the girl as she jumped behind the caretaker's legs, peeking out and around to look at the shinobi. Naruto continued undeterred by her shyness, "What's your name?"
"Akane..." she whispered back after a moment. He arched a brow and gestured for her to continue, "U-Uzumaki Akane, niisan."
"Well, it's a mighty pretty name," he said, looking up at the Hokage, "A pretty name, ne Ojisan?"
Sarutobi chuckled, "Hai, Naruto-Kun, a pretty name for a pretty girl."
"Wow, didn't know you liked that sort of thing, Jiji..." Naruto joked and was swatted over the head by the Hokage, making him pout to the girl who was giggling, "Mou, everyone's so mean to me, Akane-chan...Ne, Akane-chan, how old are you?"
Akane shyly lifted one hand and extended all her fingers, "I-I'm five, niisan."
'Five...that means the revolt wasn't as long ago as Kakashi said...Why did he say three years after my disappearance? For that manner, if that were true, Sasuke would not be hell-bent on killing this Itachi, because he wouldn't have been born. Did Kakashi want me to ask Hiru-Jiji about the revolt?' Naruto asked himself before looking at the Hokage, who had tapped him gently.
"Naruto-Kun, perhaps we can talk to Akane-chan later," Sarutobi said, getting a look from the blonde that had 'mischievous doesn't begin to describe how I feel right now' before the blonde looked at Akane again.
"Nah...I think I'd like to talk to her," Naruto said aloud with a grin, "Find out her favorite foods, colors, toys..."
Kakashi, recognizing where the blonde was going with his game, chuckled and asked, "And why would you want to know those things, Cap'n?"
Naruto gave the man a questionable look, "How else am I gonna know what to get her? I can't be a very good guardian if I don't know her, right?"
The word 'guardian' made the little girl step out from behind the caretaker's legs and looked with wide eyes at the blonde kneeling before her. Quietly, she asked, "A-Are you gonna a-adopt me, niisan?"
Naruto arched a brow and replied, "Adopt you? That's a stupid idea..." his words made her hopes fall before he grinned foxily and continued with, "Why would I have to adopt my own niece?"
Akane's head shot up and the girl gave the grinning blonde a look of disbelief. She took one cautious step forward before jumping into the blonde's chest and hugging him tightly. Naruto wrapped his arms around her and lightly brushed her hair as she cried in joy. The blonde shinobi stood with the crying girl still in his arms and looked at the Hokage.
"I'll visit Nii-sama and Nee-chan at another time, Hiru-Jiji," the blonde informed the Hokage, getting a nod of understanding from the man.
"Very well, I'll lead you to the Namikaze estate, Naruto-Kun," the Hokage said, getting a nod from the Taichou. Naruto and Sarutobi continued onward, the personal guards of the Hokage vanishing from view once again before the civilians burst into conversations.
"Namikaze estate?"
"Blonde hair, is it the Yondaime reborn?"
"Fool! That was Yondaime's brother!"
"The Yondaime had a brother?"
"Who cares, he's just as hot!"
"...Right. Anyway, didn't you read the history books?"
"Wait, that was the Captain Konoha?"
"HE'S ALIVE!"
As chaos erupted in the streets, Kakashi chuckled amongst himself and turned to his students, "Well, it seems we're going to be preparing for a festival...Sasuke, I want you, Kiba and Sakura to return home and unpack."
"Where are you going, sensei?" Sakura asked curiously as the white-haired man left to follow the man he considered an older brother.
"I'm going to help Cap get Akane-chan settled in," the man replied casually, "It's not every day you get to help the Captain, ya know."
Hana, however, had other plans. Mainly, she was going to confront her mother immediately about why she had attacked the Taichou. And why the blonde man looked so much like Kiba. And why the hell did he know so much about her (Hana's) past?
"Kaasan!" Hana called to the matriarch as she walked towards their compound. The matriarch looked up and sighed as she rubbed her head. This wasn't going to be easy to explain...
"What do you think, Akane-chan?" Naruto asked the girl quietly as he carried her into the Namikaze estate, "Big enough for us?"
Akane giggled and nodded her head, already coming out of the shell she had been in minutes before. Her cheeks were lightly stained red and her eyes were bloodshot from crying out of joy. She was hugging the blonde around the neck, quietly observing the entrance to the home. The first thing that had gotten her attention was a picture of three people, one being the one that held her in his arms now, but the two were sort of strangers.
She lightly tugged on Naruto's shirt to get his attention, before pointing at the picture, "Ne, Naru-oji...who're they?"
Naruto looked at the picture and a sad smile came over his face. It was the photo of Minato, Kushina, and himself just before they went off to fight in the third war for the first time. Kushina was hugging both brothers around their necks, while Minato had a closer stance to the Uzumaki, Naruto was holding two fingers up behind the woman's head. He remembered the smack he got for that.
"Naru-oji?" Akane's voice made Naruto return from his trip down memory lane before he grabbed the picture and showed it to her.
"Akane-chan, in this picture, are the strongest shinobi of Konoha," he said a bit smugly, before continuing, "Me, the Captain Konoha. Uzumaki Kushina, the woman, was known as the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. She had a mean temper and was ferociously strong when it was triggered. Next to her is my brother, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage and the Yellow Flash of Konoha. Akane, those two are your parents."
Akane's eyes widened and she reached out to put her hand on the photograph's frame, tears coming from the corners of her eyes. Naruto smiled at her and set the photo down to properly hug the child currently overwhelmed by happiness. He was going to enjoy the peace while it lasted because he had a gut feeling that something was going to happen...and it was going to happen soon